


The Source

by SuperKat



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21837544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperKat/pseuds/SuperKat
Summary: "Be careful," said Alexandra quietly.Aubrey grinned. "Have you met me?"Alexandra furrowed her brow.  "She's not saying anything.  She's just sort of...glaring."Sometimes restoring Sylvain isn't as simple as creating a pudding tree in the middle of a field. Aubrey's really glad she brought actual hiking boots. Dani nerds out about magic. Dr. Harris Bonkers learns some new skills.
Relationships: Dani/Aubrey Little
Comments: 15
Kudos: 31
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	The Source

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FaintlyMacabre](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaintlyMacabre/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide! This got much longer than I expected, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

**I.**

“In days of old,” Aubrey stage-whispered to the crowd, “a power was bequeathed unto me by the goddess of creation.” A breeze rustled the dry grass behind her as members of her audience began to shift and whisper in excitement. “Now,” Aubrey continued, “it is my sworn duty to share her gifts with all of you. Are you ready?” 

Her audience, a cluster of 20-30 anthropomorphic sheep gathered at the edge of the meadow, bleated in excitement. The smaller ones (did they call them “lambs” or “children?” Probably not “kids” - that would get confusing, right?) looked at each other and started to bounce on their tiny bipedal hooves.

“One,” said Aubrey. The grass around her feet began to grow.

“Two.” Doctor Harris Bonkers stood on the edge of the crowd, his ears perked, his large white feet ready to spring forward at her signal.

“Three!”

Aubrey spun on her heel and took off across the meadow at a run. The ground was uneven enough to cause a rougher-than-expected start, but Aubrey caught herself, flinging her arms open as patches of wildflowers blossomed around her. She could hear the crowd bleating and cheering but she didn’t turn to look until she had reached the opposite side of the meadow.

Where once sat a barren, gray-brown stretch of twigs and dirt, now bloomed a verdant field of thick grass and wildflowers in every imaginable color. The crowd had spread out, some diving headfirst into the grass as though they had never eaten so well in their lives, others daintily munching flowerstalks. Dr. Harris Bonkers, of course, was among the former even though he did things like this pretty much on a weekly basis.

This particular meadow sat just below what had once been a forested mountain range. From here, Aubrey could see a line of gray, withered trees at its edge. A dry streambed emerged from the forest, bisecting the field with the only strip of ground that Aubrey’s run had not affected. Dani, Janelle, and Alexandra were studying it, Dani crouched down and Janelle leaning over her. Aubrey started to jog in their direction.

Approaching a group of what appeared to be adolescents (“lamb-teenagers?” What were those even called on Earth?), Aubrey winked and snapped her fingers. Instantly a patch of clover sprung from the ground around their feet. They shrieked in delight as Aubrey passed, laughing.

Janelle and Alexandra didn’t look up, but Dani stepped over the streambed to greet her girlfriend with a wide grin and open arms.

“I gotta say,” said Aubrey, all but leaping into Dani’s embrace, “magic shows in Sylvain are the best. My audiences are so much better here than any I ever had on Earth.”

Dani kissed Aubrey’s cheek. “I think it helps that you’re giving them a self-perpetuating supply of food instead of…I don’t know… burning down the place they’re staying.”

“Or incinerating a priceless magic tome?” said Janelle over her shoulder.

“Okay,” Aubrey said with mock indignance. “Alright. Hey, I deserved that. I know. But still…is that _entirely_ called for right now?”

Dani was starting to reply when Dr. Harris Bonkers bounded up the slope, alternating between running on two feet and leaping on four. It was adorable and also…sort of frightening? He stopped at Aubrey’s feet and looked up, sucking his teeth.

“You’re _welcome_ ,” Aubrey replied, hands on her hips. “It’s…honestly? It’s just nice to be appreciated around here. And no, we haven’t gotten the water figured out yet. But they’re working on it.”

Aubrey could, of course, call forth a stream of fresh water. She’d done it just yesterday, in fact, to another brook that flowed out of the same mountain range. It had worked, but temporarily. The water had visibly slowed within an hour, and by the end of the day it had all but stopped, leaving behind mud and wet, slimy rocks. Aubrey could do the same trick here (maybe she should, just to give this community something to hold them over for a while), but Dani and Janelle seemed to think it would have the same outcome.

“The nearest I can say,” said Janelle, rubbing the back of her neck, “is that the problem isn’t about power. You certainly have enough of that. The problem is, you’re treating a symptom. We need to identify the _cause_ of the shortage before we can restore permanent running natural water to the area.” 

Alexandra looked into the forest.

“Uh huh,” said Aubrey. “So…are we talking some kind of magic pool that I have to – I don't know – touch and bring back to life? Is this a find-the-secret-spring-in-the-magical-forest kind of situation? Or is this an I-need-to-know-way-more-about-geology-than-I-actually-do sort of thing?” Aubrey furrowed her brow, tilting her head to one side. “Is there a water cycle on Sylvain? Do any of you know how that works? Because I…don’t even remember exactly how it works on Earth.”

“It…” Janelle started to say.

“I mean, I remember the basics, like…water in the ocean turns into clouds, it rains on the mountains and goes down into the ocean again…”

“Aubrey.”

“…unless someone drinks it or pipes it into a shower or a sewer system or whatever, which is wasteful and I think maybe it still goes into the ocean eventually? I had to write a report on acid rain in high school…”

“Sweetie,” Dani put her hands on Aubrey’s shoulders. “It’s okay. That’s not how it works here. And this is definitely a magic thing; otherwise your power would have been able to restore it permanently.”

“Okay.” Aubrey nodded as a group of lamb-children came bounding up the slope, shrieking and twirling and waving their tiny hoof-hands. “Sick. Find the secret spring and magic it back. Sounds great.”

**II.**

The sheep community invited the five travelers to spend the night in a massive, partially-repaired complex of barns which, according to one of the elders, had been the home of their ancestors before the Quell came. So far, only one barn was fit for use, which was fine because it was _massive._ It had lofts packed with soft wool blankets at either end, pens for the youngest lambs, and a stone-encased circular firepit at the very center. 

Raylan, the leader of the community, gave them a tour, wistfully describing a time when the corners were stacked to the ceiling with bales of fresh hay.

“Our community is not as large as it once was,” they admitted, watching a group play Leap Lamb. “But hopefully with everything you’ve done for us, someday it will be again.”

“The shearing festival should be a delight this year,” said Dani, resting a hand on their shoulder. Raylan smiled.

“The what?” Aubrey asked.

Raylan smiled. “The shearing festival. At high summer, we take a day of celebration, shearing one another and shedding our wool coats in preparation for the hot weather. We spend the next few days carding, spinning, and dying our wool, creating some of the finest yarn on Sylvan, if I do say so myself.”

“You,” said Aubrey. “So, Sylvan wool is…oh.” She thought for a moment. “Huh.”

In her peripheral vision, Aubrey noticed Janelle’s small, amused smile.

“We will of course give some to all of you as a gift of gratitude,” said Raylan. 

“Oh,” said Dani before Aubrey could reply. “I know how valuable it is to your community, especially when you’re starting over like this. We couldn’t possibly…”

“Nonsense.” Raylan waved a hand as Dr. Harris Bonkers leapt over four lambs in one go. The children bleated with laughter. “What you have done for us is something we will never be able to repay. Giving you some of our wool from this year’s festival is the least we can do to show our gratitude.”

“There is something you can do to help us on our journey,” said Janelle. “Do you have any maps of the mountains?”

“I believe we do,” said Raylan. “Our chief archivist would be more than happy to show you what we have. I can fetch her now, if you like?”

Janelle and Dani agreed with an enthusiasm that Aubrey recognized but could not comprehend. She spent an obligatory five minutes looking over their shoulders with feigned interest as the two of them geeked out over things like “ley lines” and “rock formations.” 

Finally, Dani took pity on her, resting a hand on Aubrey’s forearm and saying, “We’ve got this under control, babe. We’ll call you over if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” said Aubrey with a sharper exhale than she intended. Dani laughed, throwing her head back in that way that gave Aubrey a brief glimpse of her fangs. Aubrey kissed her cheek. “Thank you for being like 85% of my Executive Function.”

“You’re welcome,” said Dani, as Aubrey rushed to a group of giggling children and started, once again, to perform.

**III.**

They set off into the mountains early the next morning. The entire community rose to see them off, Raylan and some elders wishing them good luck, several others gifting them with thick wool blankets (Aubrey resisted the urge to ask who the wool had come from), most of the lambs running beside them until they reached the edge of the forest.

As usual, the forest burst into life around them, budding and expanding so quickly that the leaves rustled together like a breeze. Bushes took on new life, and weird-looking ferns sprouted and unfurled in Aubrey’s footprints. Aubrey stopped thinking about what specifically she wanted to see, instead letting the forest reinvigorate itself however it liked. She got a particularly satisfying sigh out of Dani as they passed a clearing full of tiny blue flowers that seemed sprinkled across the underbrush like drops of rain.

The ground sloped gently at first, but as they progressed it grew steeper and steeper until Aubrey’s legs were burning from the effort. Not for the first time, Aubrey thanked her past self for bringing actual hiking boots instead of her usual combat boots.

The top of the first hill was somewhat anticlimactic: a small patch of bare rock under a break in the canopy. Aubrey managed to catch a quick glimpse of the rest of the range before the steadily blooming trees obstructed her view. 

“So…” she said to Janelle and Dani, who were crouched side-by-side, touching the rock with their palms. Janelle’s eyes were closed, but Dani looked up. “I can’t help but notice that we aren’t following the stream anymore. Do we know…is there a specific destination in mind, or…?”

“The ley line is here,” said Janelle. She opened her eyes and looked at Dani. “Can you sense it?”

“Barely,” said Dani with an apologetic grimace. 

Janelle nodded. “It’s weak. The Quell nearly drained it of power.” She flashed a small smile at Aubrey. “Are you interested in learning a new type of magic today?”

“Always!” Aubrey sat, letting her backpack drop to the ground. She and Dani shared a smile as her massive supply of oVertone clinked and clattered inside it. 

“Close your eyes,” said Janelle. “Send your consciousness down into the rock, and try to sense what is there.”

“Stretch out with your feelings,” Aubrey whispered with a horribly-faked British accent. Dani choked back a laugh.

It took a moment, but she found it: a pulsing flow of energy deep in the ground. _It’s like a power line_ , Aubrey thought, feeling it surge as her consciousness brushed it, _or a highway_.

“That’s a – what did you call it – a ley line?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Janelle. “Sylvain’s power wasn’t always concentrated in the crystal in the city of Sylva- Chicane.” She smiled. “I’m still getting used to its new name. Anyway, the crystal in the city was always the seat of her power, the place where her divine presence was concentrated, but her energy used to flow between the city and smaller crystals all over the planet, through veins of power called ‘ley lines.’ Those of us who are particularly in tune with Sylvain can sense where they are and follow them to places of importance.”

“So…the thing that makes the water in this area is probably on this ley line?”

“Most likely, yes,” said Janelle. “According to the maps, this ley line runs through the heart of the mountains. Anything that would rely on Sylvain’s magic must be on or near its path.”

Alexandra’s eyes remained closed, the palm of her hand pressed to the rock. After a beat, she opened her eyes and stared at Aubrey with an expression that Aubrey had learned to recognize.

“Is Janelle right?” Aubrey asked.

“I can’t feel the source,” said Alexandra. “I can’t reach it. It should be there. I can feel where it’s supposed to be, but something is closing me off.”

“It's alright.” Aubrey wondered what Thacker would have to say about all this. Did he know about ley lines? What would Duck have to say about this alien forest? “Hey, Sylvain? We’re going to fix it, okay? We’re going to find the source, and we’re going to fix it. It’s gunna be okay.”

“Be careful,” said Alexandra, her voice soft.

Aubrey grinned. “Have you met me?” 

Alexandra furrowed her brow. After a moment, she said: “She’s not saying anything. She’s just sort of…glaring.”

Aubrey laughed. “Yeah, okay that doesn’t help you much, I know. But, hey, Sylvain? I’ve got all these people with me,” she gestured toward Dani and Janelle. “And we’re gunna take care of each other, and everything is going to be fine. We got this.”

Alexandra nodded, and after another moment her shoulders shifted. She blinked.

“Welp,” said Aubrey. “That answers my question. Magical water quest? That way!”

**IV.**

They hiked for a _long time_.

Like, it was _fine,_ and Aubrey tried _really hard_ not to complain, but it would have been very helpful to know how far away this “source” was. Up and over that first mountain? No problem. Up and around (not quite over, this time) a second, even taller one? Fine. Janelle did say this thing would probably be at the heart of the mountain range. By the time they encountered the third slope, which rose upward at definitely more than a 45-degree angle, Aubrey was ready to start crying.

At least Dani had the good idea to stop for lunch in a newly-revived valley between mountains. Aubrey sprung up a couple of fruit trees, a bush of berries, and a peanut bush (Dani had been calling these “gorp groves” even though Aubrey had all but begged her not to), and they all enjoyed a pleasant meal to the rustling sound of sprouting, unfurling vegetation. At Janelle's request, Aubrey created a spring of fresh water for them to drink from, but it didn't last half as long as her other attempts at calling water had. The sight of the water vanishing into the ground spurred them on, and they made the next portion of their journey in relative silence. 

Late in the afternoon, when Aubrey’s legs were feeling like rubber, her back was aching, and she was about 75% sure she was going to pass out eventually, Dani caught sight of something that might have been related to the source. The ground dropped in front of them, a jagged cliff face that probably looked really cool from below. As Aubrey stood wondering how she and her backpack were going to make it down in one piece, Dani gasped and pointed ahead. 

On the opposite side of the valley below them, another peak soared, higher than any of the ones they had crossed so far. Partway up the slope, right where the trees started to fall away, sat a stone structure like a smaller version of the castle in Chicane.

“That looks promising,” said Aubrey.

“Think you’ve got one more hike in you?” Dani asked, gripping Aubrey’s shoulder. Aubrey cringed and Dani said, “I can take your backpack for a while, if you want.”

“No thanks,” said Aubrey. “I have an idea.”

Dani started to voice her protest, but already several thick vines were springing from the ground and wrapping themselves around Aubrey’s waist. She gripped the largest vine in both hands and jumped.

In retrospect, it wasn’t the best decision she had ever made, but it definitely could have gone worse. A “mixed success,” some might call it.

Dani, Janelle, and Alexandra opted to climb down on their own, which was understandable given that Aubrey, with visibly trembling legs and arms, was still trying to disentangle herself from the vines when the three of them reached the bottom of the cliff. Dr. Harris Bonkers rode down on Dani’s back and seemed to be enjoying himself. 

It was a deceptively long trek across the valley and up to the stone structure, but Aubrey bit down her complaints, attending instead to the feeling of the ley line under her feet. She could sense it now without searching for it, a churning, buzzing feeling under her boots. She exchanged a look with Janelle, who seemed to be sensing the same thing.

They came upon the structure itself very suddenly; one minute they were scrambling up the mountainside (here, the buzzing sensation was so strong that Aubrey’s palms itched every time she took a handhold) and the next they were standing at the foot of a building that seemed to have sprung from the rock itself.

Aubrey paused, wondering how someone managed to build something this massive on terrain this steep, when Dr. Harris Bonkers grabbed her pant leg and tugged.

_“There’s someone else here.”_

Aubrey frowned. She couldn’t hear anything except the rustling of leaves behind her. “Are you sure?” she whispered.

Dr. Bonkers nodded. (Okay. New skill. Useful, but still kind of frightening.)

 _“It smells like a Sylvan_.”

Aubrey took a careful step forward, moving toward the corner of the building. “Hello?”

“Babe,” said Dani, “what-”

Something small shot out from behind the corner so suddenly that Aubrey almost lost her footing. She regained her balance as a small, pale Sylvan girl lay giggling at her feet. Dr. Bonkers hopped away, sucking his teeth indignantly.

“Um,” said Aubrey. “Hi?”

“Did you make all the plants grow?” the little girl asked. She looked about six or seven (assuming Sylvans aged at the same rate humans did). Her hair was short and jet black, her skin much paler than most of the other Sylvans Aubrey had met, though her eyes were the same shade of orange. She wore all black – tunic, leggings, and boots – but the effect was somewhat tainted by smudges of dust and dirt all over her body. A twig was sticking out of her hair. 

Aubrey smiled. “Yeah,” she said. “I do that. What’s your name?”

“Mina.” She scrambled to her feet, not bothering to brush the rock dust and dried leaves off her tunic. “You’re the Earth-lady, aren’t you? Are you here to fix the thing in the basement?”

“Yes, I’m from Earth,” said Aubrey (behind her, Dani whispered: “Basement?”). “I’m Aubrey. This is Janelle, Dani, Alexandra, and Doctor Harris Bonkers, PHD. Are you…is there someone here with you? Like your family, or some friends, or…”

“My dads and sibling are inside. I was bored, so they said I could play out here until it got dark. Are you-”

“Mina?” called a voice. “Who are you talking to?”

A man emerged from around the corner and Aubrey couldn’t contain her gasp.

He was tall and thin, with the same white-pale skin and dark hair as the little girl. His hands and cheeks were almost bony, but his forehead was high and wide. He had a widow’s peak made even more dramatic by the fact that his black hair was streaked back. He too was wearing almost all black, though much cleaner: a tunic and boots underneath a flowing black cloak.

“Oh my God,” Aubrey whispered. Dani rested her hand on Aubrey’s shoulder in what may or may not have been a warning.

“I’m sorry,” said the man, misinterpreting Aubrey’s reaction. “It must have been quite a shock to find us. No one has lived here for…well, for a very long time. I imagine it will be some time before this place feels like any kind of home, even for us.”

Janelle stepped forward as the phrase _he lives in a castle on a mountain_ spun circles in Aubrey’s consciousness. The man’s eyes grew wide and he fell to one knee.

“Minister,” he said to the ground. “Forgive me. We had not been expecting you. I’m Kane. My husband Eli is the Guardian of the Source; rather, he is meant to be, once it is restored.”

“There’s no need for formalities out here,” said Janelle, waving him up with one hand. “We’re here to help restore water to the region, so communities in and around the mountains can thrive.”

Kane stood as Mina shifted from foot to foot. After a moment, she ran, disappearing around the corner. Kane invited them to follow.

“Your help will be most appreciated,” he said as they rounded the corner. Here, the edge of the building climbed up the steep mountainside. Dry brush clung to the foundation, gaining in color rather than size as Aubrey passed it. “We arrived a few days ago, but my husband has not even been able to _reach_ the source, more or less restore it.”

They rounded another corner to reach the upper side of the building. Janelle and Alexandra followed Kane through a heavy, rounded door, while Aubrey took a moment to hang back and whisper in Dani’s ear: “Are you _kidding_ me right now?” 

“You’ll have to forgive the state of the place,” Kane was saying.

Dani grinned. “As I said, almost all of your Earth legends came from _somewhere_.” Then she followed the others into the castle before Aubrey had time to reply.

Inside was so dim that Aubrey couldn’t see anything until her eyes adjusted. Eventually she noticed candles sitting high on the walls, their flickering light barely illuminating a narrow, barren hallway. Aubrey lit the tips of her fingers and craned her neck, squinting to see the high, vaulted ceiling.

“And you are,” Aubrey whispered to Dani, “absolutely, 100% positive these Sylvans aren’t going to eat us?”

Dani hid a smile.

The hallway ended in a spiral staircase that wound to floors above and below. Mina, who had descended far enough that only her shoulders and head were visible, was shouting down to someone. She ran back up as a man with long dark hair, pale skin, and a long black robe emerged.

“Hello,” the new man said, his voice smooth and deep. “My name is Eli. I am the Guardian of the Source – at least, I am supposed to be. I understand you’ve met my husband Kane and our daughter Mina.” He stepped to one side so that another child – similar in appearance to the others, likely around 12-13 years old – could enter the small hallway beside him. “This is our child Logan. It is a pleasure to have you all here, though I am sorry the circumstances aren’t better.”

Janelle said something in reply, which Aubrey didn’t hear because Alexandra’s voice in her head drowned it out.

_“Wow.”_

Aubrey looked at Alexandra, her brow furrowed. Alexandra wasn’t looking in her direction, so Aubrey followed her gaze to Logan. Logan, who seemed to be watching Janelle, glanced back at Alexandra for a moment before quickly looking away.

 _“Oh no, oh no, oh no.”_ Alexandra looked down, her cheeks flushing. _“They probably think I’m so creepy. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”_

Aubrey gaped for a moment before grinning. 

“And does that sound alright for you, Aubrey?” asked Eli.

Aubrey looked up, her heart pounding. Everyone older than 16 was watching her expectantly.

“Um,” said Aubrey.

“We _have_ been walking through the mountains all day,” said Dani, resting a hand on Aubrey’s shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I agree that it would be nice to rest before attempting any magic.”

“Yeah,” Aubrey sighed, flashing her girlfriend a _thank-you-you’re-the-best_ smile. “Yeah. Yes. Thank you so much. I will be happy to do whatever I can to help, but first: not standing sounds amazing.”

Eli smiled. “Right this way.”

**V.**

They unrolled their sleeping mats on the floor of a small chamber upstairs, where tall narrow windows let in slivers of fading sunlight. Aubrey all but collapsed onto hers and slept (with a short break for food and water) clear through to the next morning.

She woke up to the early dawn sun falling across her face. Dani, one arm wrapped around Aubrey’s waist, stirred when Aubrey sat up but did not wake. Aubrey took a moment to stroke Dani’s hair, listening to the sounds of Sylvain below them.

Something was wrong, that much was certain. The sensation almost reminded her of days when she didn’t take her ADHD meds, a buzzing and grating that she could feel under her skin. After a few minutes, Aubrey found herself on her feet and descending the stairs, even though the muscles in her calves and knees screamed in protest.

The castle was still and silent, save the sound of a breeze outside. As Aubrey descended, the buzzing under her feet grew stronger until she found herself tiptoeing just to endure it.

There was one floor directly below the main hall, but the staircase continued beyond it and the buzzing sensation drew Aubrey ever downward. The candles here (if there were any) were unlit, so Aubrey ignited the fingertips of one hand. She felt like a Victorian lady carrying a candelabra in a black-and-white horror movie.

Eventually she came to a door, large and old and etched with symbols that she couldn’t read. Aubrey brought her hand closer, hoping, for a moment, that her connection to Sylvain would cause the etchings to rearrange themselves into legible words. Yet the silence stretched, and nothing happened.

“It says: ‘Access restricted.’”

Aubrey jumped and screamed. If she’d actually been in a horror movie, she would have dropped her candelabra (which would have either extinguished or set the castle on fire). Instead the flames at her fingertips flared, giving Aubrey a glimpse of Dani standing on the stairs above her.

“Babe,” said Aubrey, her unlit hand on her pounding heart. “Don’t sneak up on me like that. I could’ve burned this whole place down.”

“Not likely,” Dani grinned, her fangs catching the faux-candlelight in a way that was very Dracula. “What are you doing?”

“It was so loud,” said Aubrey, turning back to the door. “I wanted to see what was down here.”

Dani studied the door, her fingertips tracing the swirls and etchings. Aubrey caught herself staring at the way Dani’s blond hair twinkled in the flickering light.

“It’s a spell,” said Dani after a moment. “An old one. Only the Guardian of the Source or someone with an equal level of power can open this. Which means Eli _should_ be able to open it. I wonder why he- oh. Yep, okay. We’re doing this.”

The palm of Aubrey’s unlit hand was already touching the door.

Aubrey closed her eyes and whispered, “I know you’re scared of whatever is blocking you from this…place, but the sooner we figure it out, the sooner we can fix it. So if you could help me open this door, that would be a great first step.”

A soft orange light illuminated the carvings so that for a moment they seemed suspended in midair. There was a sound like rusty metal being twisted and bent, then the door slid open with a gravely crunch that sent shivers up Aubrey’s spine. The churning buzz in the air behind it hit her like a slap to the face. Aubrey stumbled and Dani caught her.

“I feel it too,” Dani whispered.

They faced the darkness behind the door, holding each other in frightened silence.

“I was mostly joking before,” Aubrey whispered, “about Dracula. But this…you don’t think…”

“Not unless they went feral,” Dani replied, her voice low. “But we’d know if they were. It’d be _obvious._ ” She closed her eyes for a moment while Aubrey rubbed circles on her back. “This isn’t that. Something happened down here, which disrupted the power in the crystal and kept the ley line from restoring it when Sylvain returned.”

Aubrey took Dani’s hand and squeezed. “Ready when you are.”

Dani nodded once, and together they crept down the narrow steps, gripping each other tightly. 

The staircase led to a balcony overlooking a massive chamber. Dani took a moment to grope the wall behind her, and after a few seconds, tiny orange crystals illuminated the outer walls, linked by small, curling tendrils of orange light. 

“Did you just find a magic light switch?” Aubrey asked.

A corner of Dani’s mouth twitched in the hint of a wry smile. “Pretty much yes. I’m just glad it still works.”

The light illuminated the space below them in eerie detail. Aubrey could see another staircase leading from their balcony to a flat walkway below, which traced the perimeter of the chamber. Under it was a bed of smooth, dry stones that gradually sunk into the center, which housed an orange crystal much smaller than the one in Chicane.

The remains in the center of the pit were so degraded that Aubrey didn’t understand what they were at first. They surrounded the crystal, piles of dust and sand and rags. It wasn’t until she saw the remains of an unmistakable blanket of Sylvan wool draped over a lump of dust that Aubrey understood what she was looking at. Her eyes watered and her stomach lurched. 

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

Aubrey wanted to look away but couldn’t take her eyes off it. The more she stared, the more she saw: glints off small pieces of metal like rings or pendants, scraps of clothing, a pole that might have been a staff or a walking stick.

“How did they get in?” Dani whispered, punctuating the silence. Aubrey could only shake her head. 

Footsteps behind them. A man’s voice: “Who’s there? What are you…oh.”

Eli emerged onto the balcony. Aubrey whirled around to face him, wrenching herself from Dani’s arm, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

“Did you know about this?” she asked, her voice cracking.

“Did I…” Eli took in the sight below them, his face falling into a look of horror. “Did I…what. What happened. I don’t…”

“They must have been looking for shelter before the Quell arrived,” said Dani. “But they couldn’t have gotten in without the Guardian’s help.”

“I promise you,” said Eli, looking between them, “I had no idea. If the last Guardian opened the doors to outsiders, she didn’t tell anyone or make any kind of records. I knew that I couldn’t open the door, but I didn’t know why. I swear on Sylvain herself.”

Aubrey believed him. Part of her didn’t want to; it was much easier to rage at a person in front of her than someone who had been gone for a long time. But the look in his eyes was obvious. The shifting, grinding, grating feeling found its way into Aubrey’s spine and underneath her skull.

“I need some air,” she said. She didn’t wait for a reply.

**VI.**

Aubrey left the castle without talking to anyone, then all but flung herself up the rest of the mountain, concentrating on the burning feeling in her calves and thighs. She listened to her footsteps on stone, loose rocks tumbling, the rush of breeze in the ever-expanding forest.

(There was always going to be something she couldn’t fix.) 

She didn’t reach the summit, but instead let herself collapse on an outcropping just below it. A cool wind thrummed in her ears, rustling her hair. Aubrey closed her eyes and let the sensation ground her. She didn’t open her eyes even when she heard someone scrambling up the rocks, but she did shift so that Dani would have room to sit with her.

“Hey,” Dani said.

“Hey.” Aubrey kept her eyes closed.

There was a very long silence.

“I keep reminding myself,” said Aubrey, her voice cracking, “to act from a place of love and of…of fun and making someone smile. That’s all I can do, you know? I have to believe that or…I’ll never do anything again.”

Dani started to rub circles on Aubrey’s back.

“But how does that work here?” Aubrey continued. “How do I do…anything, and know that it’s the right thing? What can I possibly do that’s going to make someone smile?”

Dani took in a long breath.

“None of us,” Dani said after another silence. “Can change what happened. Not even you. And that…” She sighed. “I told you already, about why I was banished from Sylvain, right?”

“You’ve mentioned it,” said Aubrey. Dani had referred to her “crime” occasionally and in vague terms, and Aubrey had never asked for details.

“My friend was ill,” said Dani. “He needed more of Sylvain’s energy than the average Sylvan did, and even with that he was barely able to do half as much. But what I did – taking slightly more than was allotted to me and using slightly less than I needed on myself – worked. Until, one day…it didn’t.” She shook her head as a breeze lifted some strands of her hair. “I’ve spent hours thinking about what I did wrong, what I could have done differently, how much longer he would have lived if I'd managed to avoid being caught…all of that. Some days it's all I can think about, even though I know it won’t change anything. And sometimes, even years later, it _hurts_.” She closed her eyes. “Just like thinking about Ned hurts. Just like…”

“Just like thinking about my mom hurts, sometimes,” said Aubrey quietly. Dani wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “There are days when I’m fine, when I’m past it, when I’m doing okay. That’s most days actually. But sometimes there are days when…”

“…when it just hurts.” 

“Can I ask you something?” Aubrey asked.

“Sure.”

“Before we did our whole Last-Stand-with-the-Quell thing, you told me that I felt like home to you.” Aubrey’s heart started to pound. “Was that…was that, y’know…her?”

Dani hugged Aubrey’s shoulders more tightly. “Honestly? Some of it. Probably. You carried the spirit of my home with you everywhere you went, Aubrey. I can’t pretend that didn’t influence how I felt when I was near you. But there are so many other things that drew me to you. And I could either list them all here and now, or,” she planted a kiss on Aubrey’s head, “I could just point out that none of the other Sylvan exiles on Earth fell in love with you like I did.”

(She said love.)

(They’d never said that word before, to each other. _About_ each other.)

Aubrey’s heart thudded. She felt the heat rising in her cheeks. “That makes sense,” she said, grateful to her voice for managing to sound so steady and casual. “Because you’re the only Sylvan I fell in love with, and I’ve spent a lot of time around a lot of people from this planet.”

Dani chuckled, kissing Aubrey’s head again. They sat in silence for a long time, listening to the wind.

**VII.**

They performed a funeral for the remains in the pit under the castle. Aubrey didn’t take much part in it; for all her raw power, she still knew very little about Sylvan rites, just enough to know that the details (and getting them right) were too important to learn on-the-fly. So she watched as Janelle, Dani, and Eli led them through a ritual of magic and meditation, while Alexandra knelt, palms to the ground, whispering. Logan knelt silently next to her. Kane and Doctor Harris Bonkers were playing with Mina upstairs. 

Watching Alexandra, all traces of her awkward preteen crush eliminated in her solemnity and focus, Aubrey thought about how young and yet how old she was at the same time.

Janelle, Dani, and Eli lifted their hands in unison, and the remains began to disappear in a twinkling orange light. Soon they were gone, the floor of the pit clean and clear. 

While silence hung in the air, Aubrey made her way slowly and deliberately to the crystal and pressed her palm to its smooth, cold surface.

( _People are gathering in the Chamber of the Source: young and old, native Sylvan and Earth animal. Some of them huddle on the walkway under thick blankets. With permission from the Guardian, a few step forward to sip from the pool of smooth, clear water. Their touch creates ripples, which twinkle in the light from the crystal.)_

_(“Are you sure this is what you want?” the Guardian is asking someone. Several people nod.)_

_(“Sylvain will protect us here,” some of them say. Others nod. One is crying. The Guardian leaves reluctantly.)_

_(Time passes and the refugees wait. They drink the water and tell stories to pass the time. They ignore the way the crystal grows dimmer. Or is it that it happens too gradually for them to notice?)_

_(The walls of the chamber begin to shiver and shake. The tremors are barely noticeable at first, but they grow a little longer, a little louder, a little more forceful every day.)_

Aubrey forced herself to witness the inevitable, the rush of angry red light, the screams, all of it. She did not look away. This alone was what she could do for them.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you,” she whispered, too quietly for anyone living to hear. “I’ll do my best to make things right, as much as I can. I promise.”

The crystal flickered to life.

Aubrey smiled, tears forming at the edge of her vision, as everyone except her and Eli climbed onto the walkway and waited. She felt Eli’s magic blending with the crystal. He would keep it safe after they left. Together they called the water, which surged from the crystal, filling the pool so quickly that neither of them had time to get out of the way. Soaked and shivering, they climbed onto the platform. Kane brought Mina down to see the newly-revitalized source, and she shrieked and giggled, trying more than once to dive in. Doctor Harris Bonkers immediately began to sip from the pool, and no one made a move to stop him.

“Thank you,” Alexandra whispered to Aubrey. 

**VIII.**

They spent the rest of the day resting underneath a waterfall a short hike away. Mina scrambled up and down wet boulders as Logan and Alexandra chased her, all of them laughing. Everyone dipped their feet in the water; though Janelle returned to dry land quickly. Kane told a story about an ancestor of his who wandered over to Earth completely by accident, many centuries ago, when the gate opened into a different place.

“Let me guess," Aubrey said, "It was called 'Transylvania?'” She laughed out loud at Kane’s look of surprise.

They left the next morning, Janelle and Eli saying formal farewells, Aubrey improvising a special-handshake with Mina. 

_“I should do it. I should do it. No I shouldn’t but I want to. I should do it. No.”_

Aubrey gave Alexandra a very deliberate Look and nodded. Whatever Alexandra was thinking about, it couldn’t possibly be worse than psychically listening to her work herself into an anxiety spiral.

Alexandra approached Logan, smiling and blushing. “It was nice to meet you,” she said. 

Logan smiled. “You too.” They leaned over and kissed Alexandra on the cheek. 

Aubrey tolerated Alexandra’s several-minute internal monologue with a smile on her own face.

Their return felt shorter, somehow. Maybe it was the new sound of crashing waterfalls and babbling brooks that accompanied them, or maybe Aubrey was getting better at this. In any case, her legs were distinctly not burning as they followed the rushing stream into the meadow where members of the sheep community welcomed them with dances and cheers. 

Some of the elders stood together in a bunch, taking dainty sips from their cupped hands. Nearby, a group of older lambs was hopping back and forth over the brook, cheering each other on and laughing loudly every time someone slipped or fell into the water. Doctor Harris Bonkers, seeing their game, lit up and started to hop in place. When the lambs failed to notice him, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“Aaahh!” shouted Aubrey’s pet rabbit. His voice was scratchy but loud and surprisingly high-pitched. 

Aubrey and Dani froze. The group finally noticed him, waving him over and cheering as he leapt back and forth across the stream effortlessly. Janelle went to converse with the elders while Alexandra found a patch of soft grass to sit on, content to rest and watch.

“Did you-” said Aubrey to Dani, grateful that Dani’s eyes were as wide as hers.

“Yep,” said Dani. “That’s…”

“New,” said Aubrey.

“Yep.”

After a moment of stunned silence, they burst out laughing.

**End.**


End file.
